Cults of the Legion: Cult of Magic

[Prot]

Cult of Magic

 

"Dedicated to the pure and unfettered use of sorcery."

 

Psychic Power:

Astral Blast

WC: 6

 

This is a 9" smite / Infernal Gateway type power requiring the closest unit, but causing D3 mortal wounds on the "UNIT" (not model) and any units within 3" suffer an additional wound. 

 

Warlord Trait:

Devastating Sorcery

When your Warlord inflicts a Mortal Wound with a Psychic Power, add 1 additional Mortal Wound to the total.

 

Sorcerous Arcana:

Add 1 to your Psychic tests.

 

 

The implications of this power are obvious. Any mutli target, or splash type of damage power becomes that much more powerful with this Warlord Trait. The fact the Cult comes with its own splash damage power is an easy but effective combo. 

 

Note that Astral Blast is still quite short at 15" with the Thousand Sons Legion Trait. This may require an extra support power supplied by another sorcerer. For me that's been "Warp Time". Bouncing your Warlord into danger range, and pulling him back, is pretty critical until you can properly create a buffer between him and your opponent.

 

The other power that comes to mind with such an ability is Infernal Gateway. Naturally this is available to your Daemon Princes and is also a power that causes D3 (potentially more on a 12+ test) and then additionally every unit within 3" suffers another D3 (+1) thanks to your Trait.

 

There are tools to allow you to add even more to your psychic test results giving a stronger chance of a 'super smite' causing D6 plus 1 Mortal wound to the target. (I have in fact done 7 mortal wounds to a Vindicator with 7 wounds left... it's a long shot, but quite satisfying at the right time!)

 

So what are you favourite combo's with Magic? Do you take a larger detachment with this ability? Or a simple detachment? 

 

[Archaeinox]

I have found, like we suspected, that a Supreme Command Detachment of Cult of Magic is very nice and that is without me running princes.. My goodness, I can only image people who run 2x Prince + Ahriman.

Obviously, giving a Devastating Sorcery character anything other than something that causes mortal wounds is silly. Warptime should always come from another source, yes. 

 

Typically I have been taking Magic as "small" detachments, such as a Spearhead led by a Magic sorcerer like this:

 

Outrider Det (or Spearhead, with 3x preds for me)

Exalted Sorcerer on Disc: Warlord, Devastating Sorcery, Arcane Focus, Infernal Gaze, Tzeentch's Firestorm, Astral Blast. 

Spawn

Spawn

Spawn

 

Alternatively, if you only need 1 HQ in a particular Magic detachment and want a terminator surprise from deep strike:

Terminator Sorcerer: Warlord, Devastating Sorcery, Arcane Focus, Familiar, Infernal Gaze, Tzeentch's Firestorm, Astral Blast

 

That gives you a cute +2 on your first cast, if you really want Astral Blast to go off or something.

 

Since we can swap to Gift, don't forget that Devastating Sorcery can really hurt those Primaris characters should you roll over the toughness. It's not, with Gaze of Fate. I'd never start the game with Gift, Death Hex, or Temporal Manipulation. I also swap to them if I need one. In the absence of Daemon Princes, swapping to Infernal Gateway is a good use of a CP on a Terminator Sorcerer with Familiar and High Magister.. I do not trust a single +1 to get the job done.. Infernal Gateway needs more oomph.

 

I want to like Magic more but it's so clunky. I could see extreme value as Soup. 

 

I'm toying around with the idea of making a Magic battalion because 1. Astral Blast is so easy, an Asp could cast it and 2. Having board-wide coverage for an opportune Astral Blast is a good idea considering how we aren't always hitting a gunline with it as we imagine in our heads.

 

I'm not sure what else to say about it but I expect that it should be strongly considered for every TS player. I should stop here before it turns into more word vomit. I'm probably making this analysis more in depth than it needs to be. Magic gud.

Edited February 16, 2020 by Archaeinox

[JamesI]

I've done the Supreme Command Detachment as Magic and in smaller games tried a battalion Cult of Magic detachment.  I prefer the Supreme command for Magic.  My supreme command is Ahriman, prince and a terminator sorcerer.

[Dolchiate Remembrancer]

Being that I favor Duplicity, I just cant see myself investing in a Magic warlord.

If only the spell could be spammed...then this would be my default battalion on damage output alone.

[Archaeinox]

Being that I favor Duplicity, I just cant see myself investing in a Magic warlord.

 

 

I do it because even if I can't find a proper application for Astral Blast, the additional damage from Infernal Gaze, Gift, or Firestorm is nice considering each of those spells can only be attempted once anyways.